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August 1, 2017

12 Phases of the Breastfed Baby

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What do you see when you envision breastfeeding? A calm mom and baby, gazing into each other’s eyes lovingly, maybe.

Nursing your child is one of the best things that you can do for her and for yourself, but it’s not always easy.

While difficulties exist like latching problems, blocked ducts, pumping while at work and mastitis, you are also dealing with normal, sometimes frustrating nursing phases.

The “cluster feeding so that I can make your milk come in” phase

Although colostrum is baby’s super-food, it’s your baby’s job to nurse (and nurse and nurse and nurse) in order to cause your milk to “come in”. This cluster feeding will inevitably occur at night, when all you want is to get a few winks. Who are we kidding, you’re in a hospital. The nurses won’t let you sleep anyway.

The “your milk is in full force and I can’t keep up” phase

Imagine. Your tiny infant who previously got about a teaspoon of colostrum a day now has a river of breast milk coming at her. It’s common for baby to get frustrated, cough or choke because she simply can’t keep up.

The “I can’t nurse without falling asleep” phase

How are you supposed to put baby down drowsy when every time she nurses she’s simultaneously sleeping? My second baby was either nursing or sleeping (or nursing and sleeping) for the first 3 months of her life.

The “it’s between 5-9 pm, I’m starving” phase

Call it the witching hour, call it time to veg on the couch, most babies will cluster feed in the evening for hours. If it’s your first baby, park yourself in front of the TV with some munchies and Netflix. If it’s not your first, I’m sorry. You simply need to tough it out until the next phase.

The “wow there’s so much to look at” phase

The “can’t nurse without falling asleep” phase will abruptly end and be replaced with the I’m-so-distracted-by-everything phase. Your baby will begin to notice that there is a world that she needs to discover. Get ready for on-off-on-off-on-off for infinity nursing. Go in a dark room, you say? I speak from experience. Shadows are super intriguing.

The “I’m growing and I need ALL THE MILK” phase

Baby’s grow. A lot. Growth spurts can be brutal, with a baby attached to you seemingly all day long. It will end soon, I promise. Enjoy the snuggles. Just imagine what your body would feel like if you grew as quickly as your baby’s. Ouch! And revel in the fact that you don’t have to pay for all the formula that it would take to get through these growth spurts.

The “look mom, I’m an acrobat” phase

Imagine you had to eat your most satisfying meal of the day facing a wall. You’d be stretching and twisting, too. Remember, the world is an exciting place, and while your baby wants to nurse because it’s her warm and safe haven, she also wants to see what’s going on.

The “I have these new things called teeth, let me see what I can do with them” phase

Not all babies will bite, but it’s definitely a possibility, and actually sounds worse than it really is. However, nip that in the bud ASAP, mama.

The “hello, I’m right here, LOOK AT ME” phase

There was a period of time when if I wasn’t looking at my daughter while she was nursing, she was forcefully pulling my face toward her so that I would make eye contact with her. Sweet? Yes. Annoying after the first 254 times? Yes.

The “I’m a big kid now, just kidding, I’m still a baby” phase

If you are still nursing your toddler (yay for extended breastfeeding!), you might be wondering why she has begun nursing every 5 seconds. You are her comfort, and she needs a little (okay, maybe a lot) of reassurance to make it through this scary time in life. Separation anxiety is at an all time high at around 18 months, so distract if possible, but if not, don’t worry. This too shall pass.

The “I’m teething, help me” phase

Some babies will nurse less during teething (I’ve heard) but some will nurse more for comfort. If there was a Worst Teether in the History of Teethers Prize, it would go to my child. The good news? Nursing comforted her. The bad news? Nursing comforted her.

The “let me pull your shirt up and help myself” phase

Ah, yes. There’s nothing more fun than the first time this happens in public. Bonus: you get to deal with the incredulous “you’re still nursing a baby who is old enough to pull up your shirt” stares.

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Comments

This has me cracking up. We are simultaneously in the “wow there is so much to look at phase” and the “look mom I’m an acrobat phase”. It’s a ton of fun, especially since she was never one to stay under a nursing cover. Now it’s not even a possibility. Oh well! Haha! Looking forward to reading more!

Love this! We were in the constant feeding, Netflix phase for the first 6 months it felt like. I seriously, watched soooo many seasons. Another phase we hit was the “I won’t take the bottle all day at daycare, I’ll just wait for you” – that one was tough! I always wondered how babies could go that long barely eating.

Thanks, Bridget! I can’t BELIEVE I forgot the “I’ll wait for you” phase! My first child did that. She didn’t cry or anything, she just calmly refused the bottle. I spent so much money trying to find a bottle or cup that she would take. She was (is!) a stubborn one!

Loved this! My 14 month old is in a variety of these stages — he’s got several teeth coming in as we speak, which means he wants extra cuddles with mama. He’s also constantly on the move, so even when he does want to nurser, I feel like I’m taming a wriggly puppy. But I still wouldn’t change it for anything.

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Hi! I’m Brenda. I’m a wife and working mom to two amazing little girls. I hope to inspire you in your motherhood journey! Learn more about me here.

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